Explore Everyday Health

7 Tips To Turn A Pessimistic Attitude Around

Viewing the world as Chicken Little did, convincing yourself and others that the sky is falling, is viewed as having a pessimistic attitude. Consistently putting the negative spin on life comes at the price of emotional and physical well-being. But it is possible to change your way of thinking and living. These quotes and steps can help you find your way out of a pessimistic attitude and into a happier life.

Are You Served by Pessimism?

Figure out why you have a pessimistic personality. How does being negative benefit you? Perhaps you use sardonic humor as a way to cover up your insecurities. Pessimism comes in the form of a coping device for people uncomfortable with moving into unchartered waters. The downside of the pessimistic life is that you may never realize your aspirations and dreams out of fear of the unknown.

Seven Tips to Uplift a Pessimistic Attitude

If you are tired of being called a sour puss, maybe it’s time to look to the bright side. These seven tips will help you learn how to see your pessimistic personality for what it is—negative. It’s time to take some responsibility for these bad vibes, and break out of the mold.

1. Overcome the Challenge

“Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.” —Bernice Johnson

When a task seems overwhelming, pessimism creeps in and negativity takes over. A person with a pessimistic attitude feels like the job is too big and too difficult to complete, so why bother? Break the job down into chewable bites. Create a timeline with specific goals to be reached within a realistic interval. As you bite off each morsel, savor the taste of victory when you achieve your ultimate goal… finishing the job.

2. Stop Negative Speak

“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Do you find yourself using words like “always” and “never” when you refer to yourself? Do you say things like, “Whenever I plan a trip, it always turns out bad.” How about, “I never get to do what I want”?

Constantly referring to yourself in the negative keeps pessimism firmly in your mind. The next time you hear yourself using words like “never” and “always,” stop and think about it. Rephrase the question in your head, for example: “I never go anywhere.” Is that true? Do you never go anywhere or are you over dramatizing? If you walked out the door to work you went somewhere, making the statement false. Keep reminding yourself that negative, generalized statements keep you from reaching the stars.

3. Surround Yourself with Positive People

“Surround yourself with people you can learn from. Don’t try to do it all on your own. I don’t believe I could have possibly accomplished what I’ve done without the help of everyone else.” Sigrid Olsen

You’ve been there before, excited about a future prospect and looking forward to taking on the challenge until someone makes a pessimistic comment regarding the futility of what you are about to do. Next, you hear yourself joining in the chorus of negativity. Escaping pessimistic attitudes that others display may not always be possible, but that does not mean you must surround yourself with people who always view the glass as half-empty.

Seek out people who find the bright side of life a great place to be. That doesn’t mean people who keep smiling while burying their heads in the sand. It does mean friends with a positive outlook on life that take realistic risks to achieve appropriate goals.

4. Learn from Past Negative Experiences

“Freedom is what you do with what’s been done to you.” Jean Paul Sartre

It is easy to hang on to past negative experiences by holding a grudge and refusing to budge because if it happened once, it will happen again. No one survives without experiencing a negative situation or hurt caused by another at some point in life. People blame their parents, siblings, teachers, mentors, bosses, colleagues, spouses, friends and even children for negative experiences that put dark spins on their lives. But a bad experience is just that…a one-time occurrence that should not affect the rest of your life. Face the demon, learn from the experience and refuse to allow the past to affect the present and future.

5. Picture the Positive

“Too many people are thinking security, instead of opportunity.” James F. Byrnes

You are invited to a picnic with some coworkers at your new job. Instead of thinking on the positive side, your pessimistic attitude conjures up negative scenarios. It might rain, and the people you are just getting to know may only want to pick your brain so they can undermine you at work. You’ll go and no one will talk to you.

You convince yourself it would be a rotten experience so you make up a reason to excuse yourself from the day. What if you pictured the positive and the possibility of getting to know people who may become great friends?

Imagine the day to be sunny and bright with good food and infectious laughter. When you take the optimistic view, you see the potential of possibilities.

6. Do for Others

“I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.” Maya Angelou

Nothing makes the soul soar higher than doing something for another. Instead of cowering behind the walls of pessimism, get into the world and look for ways to make it better. Volunteer on occasion at a hospital, a retirement home or for a cause. Give blood, donate to a worthy charity or hug a kid after a race at the Special Olympics in your area. Leave a larger tip for the hard-working server, offer compliments to family, friends, colleagues and strangers. Hold the door for someone or lighten a load by offering to help whenever possible.

Smile as you meet and greet others. When asked how you are, put a positive spin on your answer even if you are coming down with a cold.

7. Choose Happy

“Habits of thinking need not be forever. One of the most significant findings in psychology in the last twenty years is that individuals can choose the way they think.” Martin Seligman PhD.

Life is full of choices and deciding to be happy is one of them. You will not wake up one day and discover that your world is awash in sunshine; you must make it happen. Create a happy life for yourself by doing what brings joy. It takes considerable effort, but the end result of seeing life on the sunny side is warming.

Take small steps at the beginning. Plan to do one thing that makes you happy each day. Choose an activity from the previous topics: do a good deed for someone, decide to seek counseling to overcome the negative experience of your past or make friends with the new colleague who’s always smiling. Be who you want to be; it is never too late to begin.

There are times in life when having a pessimistic attitude is good. For example: An overly optimistic person may assure everyone that she is OK to drive after too many glasses of wine. This kind of optimistic thinking is dangerous. Someone who thinks that a devastating natural disaster will never occur because the sun always shines on them will not be prepared when it happens. A small dose of pessimism is good when it helps protect you and others, but a pessimistic attitude should not dominate your life. If you are more in tune with negativity, it’s time to take these seven steps toward a more joyful existence.

Are You An Optimist Or Pessimist?We all know someone who is a clear-cut optimist or pessimist. Whether your co-worker bounces into the office and cheerily announces her next great life plan or your neighbor grumpily informs you of the latest depressing story from the evening news, some people's world view is easy to see. Take this quiz to find out if you are openly optimistic or a pessimistic pouter.

Sign up for our Mental Health & Mood Disorders Newsletter!

Thanks for signing up for our newsletter! You should see it in your inbox very soon.